Heat Wave
by ferretgirl-1124
Summary: Speedy goes to ask Aqualad a question, and ends up getting more then he bargained for. SpeedyxAqualad.


**Title:** Heat Wave  
**Author:** ferretgirl1124  
**Pairing:** SpeedyxAqualad  
**Warning:** Yaoi, strange situations, bad language  
**Genre:** Romance, humor  
**Rating:** R

**Summary:** Speedy goes to ask Aqualad a question, and ends up getting more then he bargained for.

**A/N:** Here it is. Almost 8,000 words of slash, and you can blame it all on Pixephenex and his damn picture. Damn you Pixephenex! Also, I know many of you will feel inclined to flame me for this, and if you do, know that it will be used to warm my feet seeing as they are very, very cold.

* * *

Steel city, situated in the land of cold summers and freezing winters, was under the grips of a heat wave. Karen Beecher, known as Bumblebee by the public, lay on her bed, wearing only a bra and underwear, mentally cursing Cyborg every other second. It was too hot to sleep, too hot to read, and just considering training made her nauseas. It was just her luck that Sparky hadn't considered what would happen if something like this occurred, and they were left with no air conditioner, and one fan. One _broken_ fan, actually, thanks to the fight that had occurred that morning between the older of the four boys on her team.

Mas y Menos lay in their bunk beds, panting. They had learned a very important lesson in the past twenty minutes; you cannot out run heat. Doesn't matter how fast you go. In fact, it makes it worse. They muttered in Spanish, insulting the boy who had suggested that idea, using every word they could think of that described the horrendous crime and the perpetrator.

The boy in question lay in the main room, shirt thrown to the side in an attempt to lesson the affects of the heat. His eyes were fixed on a nearby thermometer, whimpering in disbelief. 95 degrees at 1:00 in morning meant that by that afternoon, it would be in the hundreds. The staring contest with the offending piece of machinery broke and he sat up enough to look at the pool he was currently collapsed next too. He would kill for a swim, but if he tried, he would be dead. Garth _never_ let anyone touch his pools unless they asked first. Even then, the answer was usually no.

With a discouraged sigh, Roy Harper stood and trudged towards the elevator, not bothering with his shirt. He would ask, and if the Atlantean said no, he would use the pool anyway, and damn the consequences.

Aqualad's room was on the 1st floor, hidden behind an unmarked door tucked in a corner. Everyone else, including those at Titan's West, had rooms on the top floors. However, Bumblebee had allowed the dark haired boy a room of his choice because of his fear of heights. Speedy, who managed to get lost at noon when everything was lit, walked past the door three times before finally noticing it.

Reaching up to knock, the archer got a big surprise. When his fist was less then two inches from the metal, the now obviously unlocked door slid open. A moment passed, then the redhead shrugged. If he didn't want company, he should lock his door. During his first few seconds in the previously un-seen room, he simply stood and stared. Every wall had a giant tank implanted in it, so that it looked like the room was underwater. And while there were no fish (Speedy supposed the Atlantean had issues with containing with ocean animals), there was seaweed and just about everything else needed to make it seem realistic.

In the middle of the room stood a waterbed, on which a figure lay splayed out breathing steadily, visible in the soft lighting coming from the tanks. The archer was astounded, then annoyed. The water pushed down the temperature just enough for the other boy to fall asleep, and Speedy envied him. Then the envy changed to anger, and he marched towards the bed, intent on the asking his question, and if he said no, Roy was prepared to rant until he agreed. After all, the bastard was allowed to sleep, so he should be allowed to swim.

"Gnhh..." Halfway to the bed he paused, releasing a guttural noise as he registered what he was seeing. At any other time he would have laughed at the fact that Garth had a pillow shaped like a fish, but he was currently distracted from that. From what he could see, the other boy was completely naked. He had one thin sheet pulled over him casually, but that had obviously been kicked off inch by inch as the night had gone by, and now it covered just enough to keep Speedy's brain from imploding.

"G-gar..." Roy attempted to say his teammates name, and ended up with nothing but a few unintelligible noises strung together. At first, though, that seemed to be enough; Aqualad muttered and rolled over to face the intruder, face scrunching up into a frown. But he didn't wake up, just continued to mutter softly.

As odd and embarrassing as the situation was, Speedy couldn't help but smirk at the Atlantean's distress, "Sure, I'm dieing of heatstroke, but you have all the problems, don't you?" Garth's frown deepened and the archer's eyebrow lifted slightly, "Bad dreams, Fish-boy?" As if these were magic words, Aqualad's eyes popped open. The two boys stared at each other for a few seconds, then the Atlantean yelped.

"Roy?" He bolted up, not noticing as the sheet slipped more, "What the hell are you doing in my room? ...And _why _aren't you wearing a shirt?"

Speedy floundered for an answer, trying to pretend he wasn't staring at the area that the sheet was rapidly vacating, "Um...I...hot...swim?" Aqualad went bright red and blinked at him. Roy realized how that sounded and winced, then flailed his arms, "No! It's hot, and I wanted to know if I could swim in your pool."

That was greeted by a blank stare and an even brighter blush, "You...wait...what?" At that point Aqualad noticed where the sheet was, yelped, and pulled it back.

Okay, it was official. There was no way to save this situation. Speedy edged back towards the door, "I...uh...never mind. Talk to you in the morning!" He darted to the door and slammed into it face first, "Son of a...! This was unlocked!"

"Well, that explains how you got in."

"Huh?" Roy turned to face Garth, noting the look on the Atlantean's face and going pale.

"I...um...must have locked it from the inside."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning until Bee or the twins open the door...we're locked in here."

* * *

The two teens stood in front of the door, frowning. It had been ten minutes since Speedy's arrival, and in that time Aqualad had pulled on pants and had failed multiple times to unlock the door. Speedy had given up and sat leaned back against the cool tanks, scowling.

"What now?"

"I guess we wait?"

"How long?"

"What time was it when you got here?"

Roy paused and carefully thought through the time, "Let's see...It was around one when I left the main room...then I got lost...about 1:20, I guess."

"So it's about 1:40 now?" Aqualad gave up and sat next to the archer, looking defeated and annoyed.

"Yeah, about that." Speedy leaned his head back against the tank, shivering slightly as the movement brought more bare skin into contact with the chilled glass, "So...how long till we're out of here?"

"Well, Bee usually gets up at eight."

"...Crap."

**

* * *

Hour One (Two A.M. )**

* * *

Speedy wandered around the edge of the room for the third time, every step grating away a little bit of Aqualad's patience. Step, step, step, mutter. Step, step, step, mutter. After a while it began to blend together; stepstepstepmutterstepstepstepmutter.

"ARGH!"

The archer jumped a few inches off the ground and yelped, "AH!" The two boys glared at each other for a few seconds, then Roy sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, promptly losing his balance and falling backwards.

"You have a w_aterbed_?"

Garth glared at him and flopped down in the middle of the bed, keeping his balance easily, "Are you really that surprised?"

"..." Roy stared at the ceiling then, smirked. "No, not really. So, how long has it been?"

"You asked me that five minutes ago." The Atlantean glared.

"That doesn't answer my question!"

"Okay, Roy, what is 2:04 plus five?"

"..." Speedy glared, then realized that the other boy was actually waiting for an answer, "2:09."

Garth smirked slightly, "Wow, who knew monkeys could do math."

"At least I'm not a fish!"

"Is it possible for you to be creative?"

"Why bother, when I already have so much material to work with?"

The two sat and glared for another few minutes, then looked away at the same time, sighing. Speedy attempted to sit up and slipped again; Aqualad had to control the water before the other boy could get even a semblance of balance back. Tense silence reigned for another few minutes, then Roy scowled.

"How much longer?"

"Shut up!"

He ducked the pillow the Atlantean threw at him, and flopped back onto the mattress. It was going to be a long night.

**

* * *

Hour Two (Three A.M. )**

* * *

"So...what do you do in your free time?"

Aqualad turned to him, suspicious, "Why?"

"Listen, fish boy, we're going to be stuck in here a while. And since there is no way in hell I'm going to get any sleep, we have to do something."

"Fine. You know what I do in my free time? I swim, and I try to ignore you."

Sparks flared in the looks they gave each other, and not good, 'I wanna fuck you raw' sparks either, "Why the hell are you acting like this?"

"Why do you keep calling me 'fish-boy'?"

"Because you are!"

Aqualad buried his face in his hands; five hours to go, and they were already at each others throats, "God, I feel bad for Bee."

"...Why?"

"Can you imagine putting up with us for hours on end?"

"No wonder she's so twitchy."

"No kidding."

Roy stood up, paced for a few more minutes, then flopped down next to the Atlantean, who gave him a thoughtful look.

"What about you?"

The arched blinked, obviously confused, then tilted his head slightly, "What?"

"What do you do in your free time?"

"Oh! Um...practice, mostly...though I spend time improving my weapons." He grinned and happily started in on a list of new weapons that he had been working on, "New arrows, bigger quiver, stronger bow..."

Aqualad listened to the list, unaware of the small smirk that had appeared as his friend babbled, flailing his arms from time to time to add emphasis. "You are a Robin clone, aren't you?"

Roy stopped halfway through a sentence and began to pout, "I am not! I'm Speedy, I have my own identity, and I'm completely different from him."

"Doesn't sound like it to me."

The archer turned away, looking genuinely hurt for the first time, "I wouldn't make the same mistakes he has. I mean...I'd never work with a villain." He turned back to the other boy, an oddly desperate light in his face, "You believe me, right?"

The other stared at him, then nodded, "Yes. Why are you freaking out?"

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

With a sigh and a pout, Speedy flopped back onto the mattress. "I just hate being compared to him, ya know? I am my own person! People only know me as 'the guy that looks like Robin!'"

"Yeah, well, I'm the 'unitard guy'." They eyed each other warily, then broke out in almost identical grins, managing to break some of the tension in the room.

"So, how much longer, _Unitard guy_?"

"Too long, _Robin_. Too long."

**

* * *

Hour Three (Four A.M. )**

* * *

"Damn! Don't you ever get bored in here?" After his 634th circuit around the room, Aqualad had finally informed him that he didn't have a TV. In fact, the only appliance in the room was a stereo in the corner. "I mean...I have a TV and a Game station in my room. What do you do in here?"

"Sleep."

"That's it?"

"No, from time to time I bring home guys from bars to keep me entertained." Aqualad muttered dryly. Speedy froze and turned slowly to look at the other boy, who lay on his bed with his pillow covering up his face.

"What?"

The dark-haired boy moved the pillow slightly to glare at him, "I'm joking."

"But you said guys!"

"And? Do you have a problem with that?"

"N-no! I mean...whatever floats your boat..."

A soft snort came from the other boy as he pulled his pillow back over his head, "Oh, just shut up Speedy."

"...Okay."

**

* * *

Hour Four (Five A.M. )**

* * *

"So you're gay, huh?" Speedy had been standing in the corner of the room farthest from the bed since Aqualad had made his little announcement. The other boy had sat up and started glaring at him not long after he retreated, dark eyes flashing.

"Dammit Speedy! My sexuality is none of your business, and you can calm down because you are not my type!"

The redhead paused, looking oddly miffed, then asked a question that surprised the other boy much more then he liked, "Well...why not?"

"Because..." Aqualad looked thoughtful, "I like hot guys."

"Ouch!"

"Oh, get over it. I thought you'd be happy."

"Well, at least I know I won't be raped if I fall asleep."

"You are such an arrogant ass." Aqualad stood up, fists clenched, "And how much are you going to insult me? Jeez..." Still muttering, the black-haired boy wandered over to the corner farthest away from the archer and slouched down till he was sitting with his back up against one of the tanks.

Speedy glanced over and blushed. He had no idea how to deal with this; he and the other boy, despite how much they fought, were actually friends. Or so he had thought." Why didn't you tell me?"

"That I wouldn't rape you?" The look Aqualad sent him was laden with disgust. "I didn't think I needed to!"

"No! That you're gay!"

"I already told you, my sexuality is none of your business."

"Yeah...but...aren't we friends?"

"Yes. But friendships have a way of disintegrating when I tell people that I like guys."

"Oh. You think I'm that shallow?"

Aqualad buried his head in his hands, "See, this is why I don't tell people. The drama pisses me off."

"So who else knows?"

The Atlantean hesitated, sighed, then stared at the wall across from him, "I haven't told anyone but Bee and Beast Boy, and Bee only knows because she figured it out on her own and asked me out it." (about it?)

"And Beast Boy?" Speedy wasn't hurt. Of course not; everyone had a right to his or her privacy, and if Garth hadn't wanted him to know, then he had no right to know. Still, it was kind of annoying that his best friend had kept the secret from him. But he didn't care.

"I told him, of course. He never would have figured it out on his own."

"That's kinda harsh."

"Yeah, but it's not completely untrue."

The boys settled down into awkward silence, trying to avoid each other's eyes and hoping morning would come soon.

**

* * *

Hour Five (Six A.M. )**

* * *

"How much longer?"

"Two hours."

"...Aqualad?"

"What?"

"Isn't today our free day?"

The Atlantean's eyes flew open. They were both still in their corners, curled up, and Garth had been close to sleep. This added a new horror though; free days happened every couple of weeks, and during them the team members all tried to sleep in. Bee usually stayed in bed until ten. "Oh, god..."

"So...how much longer?"

"Four hours. If we're lucky."

Roy whimpered and sunk down farther. It was going to be a long night.

**

* * *

Hour Six (Seven A.M. )**

* * *

They had migrated back to the bed. It was tense, and they were making sure to avoid contact of any kind, but sitting on the floor gets really uncomfortable after a while, and they now sat perched as far away from each other as possible while trying to pretend it was on accident.

Roy growled under his breath and glared at the wall. "This sucks."

"What?"

"How the hell can we be friends now?"

The comment brought a scowl to Garth's face. "This again? Dammit Speedy. We'll be friends just the way we were before!"

"How can we?"

"How can we? Unless you want to fuck me or something, I doubt there will be a problem!"

The archer whipped around and was met with the dirtiest look he had ever seen. "What the hell? You'd be more likely to want me!"

"Don't flatter yourself! I already told you; you're not my type!"

A strange emotion flashed in Roy's eyes, but it was gone almost as soon as it appeared. The small glimpse he had seen made Aqualad's breath catch in his throat, and he settled back to think. It couldn't have been what he thought it was; Speedy did not get jealous. Of course not.

**

* * *

Hour Seven (Eight A.M. )**

* * *

He hadn't moved in twenty minutes. Early in the hour he had drifted off to sleep, and hadn't been aware of it until he had woken up with a strange weight on his chest. At first he had thought something was smothering him, but then the object shifted and muttered. Roy had frozen, and the realization had struck him painfully. Aqualad had obviously fallen asleep not long after him, and had rolled over at some point. The other boy now lay using his chest as a pillow, and the archer was more and more certain that he was about to have a heart attack.

_'Please wake up. Please wake up.'_ If the Atlantean didn't wake up soon, Speedy was going to have a stroke. But if he did, then he would have to face the other boy after this. Well, either way he would, but if Aqualad rolled over first then only one of them would know, and Roy was really, really good at denial.

All that happened was another soft mutter, and a small movement of the pressure on his stomach as Aqualad turned his head slightly.

Could this get any worse?

"Speedy..."

The soft mutter froze his thoughts and he stared at the ceiling blankly. Apparently it could.

**

* * *

Hour Eight (Nine A.M. )**

* * *

Not long after the life wrecking, earth shattering moment, Aqualad had rolled over and curled up, and Speedy had sat up so fast that the popping from his back sounded like gunshots. Okay, so his friend had been dreaming about him. He would deal with that. He could.

Hell, they had been fighting less then ten minutes before the Atlantean fell asleep. He had probably been dreaming about that. _'But that doesn't explain his expression.' _The traitorous little voice in the back of his head crowed, happily calling up a memory of the contented smile that had graced Aqualad's face.

_'That doesn't mean anything!'_

_'Uh-huh. Are you really going to believe the guy that's arguing with himself?'_

That made Roy stop and blink; his brain had just hurt itself. But maybe that was the point. He needed to stop freaking out and think this out rationally. Okay, so another guy had said his name in his sleep. And the other guy was gay. Instantly assuming that that meant anything was stupid. At the same time, it might have. The smile...the smile had been scarier. Even scarier was how it had made him feel, but he quickly pushed this thought aside, nowhere near ready to deal with it.

He might be someday, but for now he felt best just staring into space and trying to ignore it.

**

* * *

Hour Nine ( Ten A.M. )**

* * *

"Speedy?" Aqualad smirked slightly as the other boy jumped and turned to look at him, eyes oddly wild. "You okay? You've been acting really weird."

The redhead continued to stare at him, then began to talk as if he didn't realize he was doing it. "I have a girlfriend."

"Okay..."

"I do! Her name is Karen!"

This got a very weird look from his fellow captive. "Isn't that Bee's name?"

"..." Roy went pale, obviously not expecting the Atlantean to know that. "N-no."

"Uh-huh."

"How did you know her name?"

Aqualad shrugged. "She told me."

Speedy hesitated. "Oh. Hey...what's yours?"

"Huh?"

"Your name."

"Oh." The dark-haired boy glanced down at his hands. "It's Garth."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"What's with the sudden interest?"

That made Speedy pause. He had always been interested in his friend. He winced mentally at his thought choice; he had always been interested in his friend's_ life_. That was better. "I guess I was just curious. I mean, in the hours we've been here, I've learned more about you then I did during the whole time we've been teammates. That's kinda sad."

The curious, piercing look Aqualad gave him made him shift uncomfortably. "What's your name?"

"I...don't want to say."

"I told you mine."

"It's Roy Harper."

"Nice to meet you, Roy."

Speedy blinked, then smiled slightly. It was strange, but Garth did seem like a different person now. Everything they had learned about each other, names included, had added a whole new element to their friendship. So this introduction thing made an odd kind of sense, once he thought it through. They were introducing themselves, not the heroes, but the people they were before this part of their life, and it was very, very strange in a comforting sort of way. "Nice to meet you too, Garth."

**

* * *

Hour Ten (Eleven A.M. )**

* * *

"Shouldn't she be awake by now?" Speedy lay splayed out on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He had found an easy way to ignore everything that had happened in the past three hours. He had slept. But a part of his mind registered something was wrong and switched on, making him face life again.

"Roy--" Aqualad paused, obviously still not used to calling the other boy that, "--it's our free day. Which means she won't really expect to see us till tomorrow."

The redhead's eyes widened beneath his mask. "You mean we could be stuck in here until tomorrow morning? But I'm hungry!"

"So am I." The Atlantean sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall. "And I'm bored."

"See, if we got locked in my room, we could be watching TV. Instead, we're stuck in the room of hell, and --"

Aqualad glanced over at the other boy, unable to suppress a smirk at the obvious 'Aha!' expression on his face. "What?"

"Where's your communicator?"

The derisive snort from the Atlantean made the archer blush. "How stupid do you think I am? I would have used it already, but I left it in the control room."

"Dammit! You suck, fish-boy!"

"Yeah, but at least I don't swallow." Garth shot back before he thought it out, grinning as Roy's face went the same color as his hair. "And what about your communicator, huh? If you're such a genius you must have it with you."

Speedy muttered and rolled onto his stomach. "I hate you."

"The feeling's mutual, trust me."

**

* * *

Hour Eleven (Twelve P.M. )**

* * *

"So why don't you have a girlfriend?"

"What?"

"Why. Don't. You. Have. A. Girlfriend?"

"I dunno. I never really thought about."

Aqualad glanced over at the redhead, who still lay with his face buried in the fish pillow. "You never thought about it? Roy, you have a screaming horde of fan girls that follows you from place to place. You could get a girlfriend faster then you could hit a target."

"Yeah..." Speedy pulled the pillow to the side slightly to look at him. "But that can't be the healthiest relationship. Plus, those chicks are scary."

"You're just worried they might cut your hair for their shrines."

"Hell yeah! And my hair is way to important to lose to some stupid chick."

"Would it be better to lose it to some stupid guy?"

The other boy froze and stared at him. "You know, yesterday that would have been annoying but kinda funny. Now it's just awkward as hell. How am I supposed to reply to that?"

"Umm...you could say no."

"Oh. Right. No."

They blinked at each other, then hurriedly looked away. This was taking way too long, and if Bumblebee didn't show up soon, one of them was going to crack.

"Okay...awkward silence is getting on my nerves." Aqualad nudged Roy, then scowled as the other boy jumped to his feet, bright red. "Dammit Roy! You can't freak out every time I touch you!"

"I won't! I didn't!"

Aqualad sighed and flopped down on his back. "Sure, and you didn't squeal like a girl and run away when I poked you either."

Roy gave him a grudging glare, and then sat down gingerly, making sure to stay at the very edge of the bed and as far away from his teammate as he could. "I did not squeal like a girl. It's impossible for me to squeal like a girl." A light flush rose on his face as Garth began to laugh.

"It's not just a river in Egypt, huh?"

The archer winced and turned away from the other boy, trying to ignore how close to home that comment was. "Oh, shut up!"

**

* * *

Hour Twelve (One P.M. )**

* * *

"So...you're...really gay?"

"Yes, Roy, for the millionth time!"

"Calm down, fish boy!"

"I can't help it! I know you're bored, but can we _please_ stop talking about this?"

"Okay, so what can we talk about?"

They sat on opposite edges of the bed like usual, but were facing each other for once, looking strained and wary. The lack of food and sleep had begun to have an effect on them, and they were both trying to keep from talking, know that they would begin yelling again if they weren't careful. Well, at least Garth knew. Roy was still attempting to dig up something to talk about, and no longer cared about tact, if he ever had.

"I don't know." Aqualad turned his head slightly, wanting to stare at something but knowing that focusing on Roy would freak him out.

"What's it like?"

The Atlantean cringed. "What?"

"Being gay."

"Dammit Speedy!"

"I'm Roy, remember?" His small smirk clashed with Aqualad's glare.

"Not when you're being a pain in the ass."

"Fine. Then you're not Garth when you're being bitchy."

The dark eyed boy was now seriously considering homicide. Then he realized something that would scare his teammate even more. Roy's smirk disappeared quickly as Garth began advancing on him, a small evil smile lighting his features. "Well...what do I have to do to be Garth again?" The other boy's only response was a squeal and a scramble backwards, his eyes wide behind his mask. His hand hit a spot where the sheets had bunched up and slipped outwards, causing him to fall on his back. The next second he was pinned, the other boy straddling his waist and looking down at him, the smile still firmly in place. "Still bored?"

Speedy simply squeaked again and seemed to choke on his breath. _'He's sitting on me, he's sitting on me, he'ssittingonmeohdeargod!' _The archer's thoughts became a blur and they simply stared at each other, both suddenly realizing that this was no longer a joke.

**

* * *

Hour Thirteen (Two P.M. )**

* * *

"I said I was sorry."

Roy stared at him wildly. He had long since reverted to his original corner, and hadn't left it since then. "Why the hell did you do that?"

The other shrugged helplessly, brushing a strand of hair from his face as he blushed. "I...don't know. You were pissing me off with all the questions, and I just wanted to shut you up."

"Yeah, but sitting -- " _'Straddling' _his mind whispered, '_He was straddling you'_, " -- on me?"

"Well it was the only thing I could think of!"

"How would you feel if I did that to you?" His frantic answer was greeted by silence and wide eyes, and they simultaneously spun around so that their backs were facing each other.

"I don't like you."

"I know."

"I was doing it because it would freak you out."

"Exactly. Plus, I'm straight as a board!"

"I know!"

They both forced laughs, refusing to acknowledge the fact that they still weren't looking at each other. Speedy's mind worked frantically, trying to block out a thought that the damn evil part of his brain kept sending up; _'If I pissed him off enough, how far could I get him to go?'_

**

* * *

Hour Fourteen (Three P.M. )**_

* * *

'They stood by the bed, hands straying across each others bodies, lips locked together passionately. The taller of the two moaned in the back of his throat and the other smirked. Hands fumbled with zippers, feet tangled, and they fell in a heap on the bed, tongues wrestling and his companion moaning his name. He had never felt so happy, so right__, and --' _Speedy woke up with a gasp, trembling and drenched in sweat.rightSpeedy woke up with a gasp, trembling and drenched in sweat.**

* * *

Hour Fifteen (Four P.M. )**

* * *

Aqualad wasn't bored anymore, and even his hunger was momentarily forgotten. His friend had fallen asleep in the corner, and about forty-five minutes ago he had bolted up, panting and whimpering in the back of his throat. Since then he hadn't moved, just sat in the corner muttering about cabin fever.

"Speedy?"

A soft mutter and a bright blush.

"Speedy?"

The other boy refused to meet his eyes.

"Roy! What the _hell_ is your problem?"

The redhead hunched down in his corner hoping to god that his thoughts weren't as obvious as they felt. '_Oh, nothing, except for the fact that getting locked in here has given me some weird version of cabin fever and I just had a sex dream about you. But nothing's wrong, and I'm definitely straight. Why do you ask?'_

Aqualad stood up, visibly worried about his friend. "Roy, are you okay?" His hand came in contact with the archer's arm and he yelped.

"Don't touch me, you son of a bitch! I hate you!" The sincerity in his voice made Garth flinch back, and he realized too late that those words could not be easily taken back.

**

* * *

Hour Sixteen (Five P.M. )**

* * *

"I didn't mean it!"

"That's bullshit and you know it!"

They stood nose-to-nose, dreams and feelings forgotten in the moment. Speedy's hands were clenched into fists, and he could barely control his guilt; he had finally found a way to vent it, but it appeared as anger directed towards his friend and that was exactly what he didn't want. "Why the hell would I lie to you?"

"God only knows! I have no idea how your fucked up mind works, and I don't care!"

"My mind is not fucked up!"

"Then why did you flip out like that? God, I wish I had never told you!"

"You being gay has nothing to do with this!"

Garth crossed his arms and leaned forward so that their noses were touching, eyes flashing malevolently. "Oh yeah? Then why did you spaz out less then an hour after waking up from a dream that you were moaning my name in?"

The archer went an odd blotchy color as his face attempted to go bright red and extremely pale at the same time. "W-what?" His voice was husky and rougher then usual, and he was having trouble breathing again.

"You heard me. Ever since you found out, you've been acting weird. And now this."

"Well it wouldn't be such a big deal if we weren't locked in a room together! I don't have anything else to think about!"

"Why? Can't you think about fighting, or girls, or anything else?"

"No."

The answer was simple, quick, and a complete and total shock to both of them.

**

* * *

Hour Seventeen (Six P.M. )**

* * *

The bed again. It always led back to sitting on the damn bed, and while Speedy was sure that had some symbolism, he was too busy to think about it much. They sat perched side by side, careful not to come in contact even as they sat within a few inches of each other.

"She has to save us soon."

"Of course. How long has it been?"

"I don't know. I lost track."

The conversation was soft, brisk, and carefully cold. They were indirect, both trying to avoid thinking or talking about anything that had happened lately. "Well..." Speedy shifted uncomfortably. "What do we do now?"

"Sit here, stare at the wall, and try to ignore how hungry we are." Aqualad muttered dryly.

The other boy rolled his eyes then glared at him. "Isn't there anything else?"

He stifled a snicker. "I can think of a lot of things."

"Damn it Garth! You can't say shit like that!"

"What? What the hell are you thinking, you pervert? I was talking about playing poker of something."

"That is such a freaking lie."

"It is not."

"Do you have any cards with you?"

Garth blinked, then glared at the redhead. "Okay, fine, it was a lie. But it's funny to see you twitch."

"Yeah, and I bet if I made a move on you you'd be the one twitching." He grumbled and slumped down slightly. If Karen didn't find them soon, they were screwed. At this point they were stuck halfway between talking about it and accepting it, and being in complete denial. And those were two_ very _different points.

"Who's the one making weird comments now?"

"I hope she finds us soon."

"Goddamn. When did my room turn into a desert island?"

"Dunno, but I'd kill for a bottle and a piece of paper right about now."

**

* * *

Hour Eighteen (Seven P.M. )**

* * *

"I can't believe just being locked in a room with someone can make this much of a difference."

"Well, we have been in here for a while."

Their words were boring, lacking any real meaning. That was mainly because they were both focused on the thoughts running through their minds. Aqualad lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. _'Sexual tension. With my best friend. If someone would save us, we could ignore it. But if they don't show up soon...'_

_'Not gay. Not gay. Bad dream. Not gay. Not gay.' _

"Bored."

"God I hate your room."

"I'm starting to too. You could try sleeping; that would pass some time."

Speedy rolled over, not seeming to notice how much closer that brought him to the other boy. "No. Your room is weird." He glared at the Atlantean, who was obviously mocking him about his dream. Or at least that was the way it seemed to him.

"Not as weird as you." He turned his head to smirk at his friend and found himself face to face with Roy. Both froze, eyes wide, and lay perfectly still as if expecting something to attack them. Which, to be perfectly honest, they did.

Neither dared to breath. One, laying flat on his back, seeming almost to anticipate something. The other was propped up on his elbow, staring down at the dark haired boy with wide, shock filled eyes. Both seemed frozen, stuck in a tableau that neither could break out of. Speedy swallowed heavily, blushed, then started to pull away.

"You know, I've heard that kissing can break sexual tension."

The redhead almost passed out at these words, turning back slowly to face the blushing but calm Atlantean. "What?"

"Sexual tension."

"There's no sexual tension. We're both guys."

"And? You've been thinking about it constantly since you found out that I'm gay. Maybe a kiss will prove that you're not."

"Maybe? There's no maybe about it! I'm not!" However, he still hesitated, absolutely terrified. No matter how much he denied it, he did not want to find out what would happen if they kissed. "And stop hitting on me!"

"Dammit, I don't like you! It's the same thing that's happening to you. We've just been in contact too long and the tension developed on it's own."

They eyed each other warily, and Roy sighed. "So it wouldn't mean anything?"

"Well I can't speak for you, but it sure as hell won't mean anything to me."

"Okay." The redhead agreed suddenly, desperate to end the awkward silences and weird looks using any means necessary. He leaned towards the other boy slightly, hesitated, then darted forward and blinked as their lips met. Despite the fact that he had been planning on this, it still surprised the hell out of him, and he gasped into the kiss, haplessly deepening it.

It should have ended there and fixed everything. Instead, one of them (later they were unable to remember who) leaned into the kiss and they were both lost in it in less then a second.

**

* * *

Hour Nineteen (Eight P.M. )**

* * *

"That...didn't...work..."

This statement, broken by the boy's efforts to get his breathing under control, earned him a glare from the Atlantean. "Obviously." It was true. The tension wasn't gone. In fact, instead of being mildly disgusted by his feelings for his teammate, he was now in the process of fighting the strong urge to jump the other boy.

"What do we...do now...?" His initial response had been the urge to ignore it, pretend it never happened. But it had, and unless his friend agreed to the no talking policy, it wouldn't work.

"...do you feel any better?"

"No. You?"

"No."

"Great."

"I was so sure this would work though...why the hell didn't it work?"

"Maybe we're actually attracted to each other." The half-hearted laugh Roy summoned as he said this statement was cut off by the deeply thoughtful look Aqualad gave him. "You're giving me one of your weird looks again."

"What if that's true?"

"It can't be! Once we're finally out of this room, and we get some food and good sleep, we'll realize how stupid all of this was. I know it."

Garth hesitated only once, then pounced, pinning him again. "Are you sure about that? Because I can't lie to myself worth shit, and right now my mind keeps telling me to kiss you."

The redhead stared up at him, flushing faintly, then jerked his head to the left to avoid the other boy's fierce gaze. "It wasn't supposed to mean anything." His tone was grudging, almost accusatory, and Garth snorted.

"Yeah, but it does. Right, _Roy_?"

The other boy finally looked at him again and for a long time they simply sat like that, thinking their own thoughts and trying to decode their feelings, hoping against hope that something would appear that would make this all a game and knowing nothing would.

**

* * *

Hour twenty (Nine P.M. )**

* * *

"If we get out of here, do you think things will be better?"

"If? No. You mean 'when'."

"You're avoiding the question, fish boy."

"Oh, give it up. It's getting old."

"Not for me."

"Of course not. Infantile humor always amuses the stupid."

"Dude, do you always get this bitchy when you're bored?"

"No, but I do when I'm this hungry and tired."

"Then get some sleep."

"No." The Atlantean's glared reappeared at the suggestion. It was becoming almost a battle of wills; who could go the longest without going to sleep? They were both wary, convinced the other would jump them the second their guard slipped, and they were right to be nervous. Because under the 'don't touch me!' looks they were exchanging was the deep urge to attempt the earlier experiment again. Unbeknownst to the other, each was more then willing to see if it would work the second time. Both knew it wouldn't, but neither was willing to admit this; that would lead to things they couldn't even begin to be ready for.

The strong, almost magnetic, attraction between them was scary not only because of its power but because of how quickly it had developed, giving them no time to cope or adjust. Now there was only time for action, and that was just what they didn't want.

"You know, you could thank me."

"Why?"

"Because, if I hadn't shown up to talk to you, you would be locked in here alone."

"This is better how?"

"Now you have some one to talk to."

Aqualad rolled his eyes at the redhead's attempts to be casual. "I don't want to talk."

"Then what do you want to do?" Roy winced instantly at his phrasing, steeling himself for a cutting, sarcastic remark from the other boy. Oddly enough he received only silence, and curiosity drove him to cautiously open one eye. They had returned to the opposite ends of the bed, but they were still close enough that he could see the light blush on Garth's face, and the way he was staring at the wall to avoid the masked eyes peering at him. "Garth?"

"Oh, just shut up Speedy!"

"Why?"

"You're just making this worse."

"I'm not trying too!"

"I know, but you are!"

"Dammit fish boy! Do you always have to be so critical?"

"I'm not critical!" The sudden flash of anger was enough to make the Atlantean face the archer, dark eyes narrowed.

"Yes, you are! How much of your day do you spend bitching about stuff?"

"About as much of the day as you spend being stupid!"

"See? You just did it again! Stop whining about everything and you might enjoy life!"

"I don't whine, and I do enjoy life!"

"You know how often I see you smile?"

The question wasn't what Aqualad had expected. He froze, mouth hanging open with his retort still hanging on his tongue, and blinked at the redhead. "What?"

"You heard me."

That was something to ponder, all right. He had never really considered it, but now that he did, he had to admit the other boy was right. He didn't smile much. That was because he just wasn't the type to smile though. Right? "...Roy?"

"Yeah?" His tone was oddly triumphant, and Garth simply blinked at him again.

"How much time do you spend watching me?"

That wiped the smirk from Speedy's face as quickly as the Atlantean could blink. "I-i don't watch you."

"You must, if you've noticed I don't smile much."

"No! Everyone's noticed that. It's hard not too."

"Uh-huh." It was Aqualad's turn to smirk, and he made no effort to hide it. Leaning forward slightly, he rested his elbow on his knee, then his head on his hand. "But you're the first one to mention it."

"Well I think that's because I'm the first one to get locked in a room with you."

"Are you sure about that?"

This earned him a blank stare, then a look of disgust as the meaning registered. "Sick, fish boy! I don't want to hear about your sex life!"

"At least I have a sex life."

"Shut up!"

"Why do you sound so jealous?"

"Why the hell would I be jealous of you?"

"Dunno. Maybe you're jealous of the other guy." The mocking tone did nothing to improve Speedy's mood, and he lunged forward, grabbing the other boy's shoulders and slamming him against the mattress.

"Dammit, Garth! Do you have any idea how tempted I am to kiss you right now?"

"...What?"

"I said 'do you have any idea how tempted I am to kick you right now?'"

"No you didn't. You said kiss."

"...No I didn't."

"Uh-huh."

"Nu-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Nu-uh!"

Aqualad stared up at the other boy, mouth twisting in a wry smile. "Ever heard of a Freudian slip, Roy?"

"There's nothing Freudian about it!" Speedy leaned in till they were nose-to-nose, mask narrowed in a glare. "And I never want to kiss you again! Once was bad enough."

"Then why are you so close?" Without giving the other boy a chance to answer, he leaned up slightly, connecting their lips. Just as he expected, the archer did not run. Instead, he pressed into the kiss eagerly, his body doing what his mind would not allow. '_Oh yeah. Nothing Freudian about it at all, is there Roy?_' Soon, however, all thoughts left as his instincts and the growing attraction took over, finally leading him to what he really wanted.

**

* * *

Hour twenty-one (Ten P.M. )**

* * *

She was worried. Sure, it was a free day. But they were teenage boys, and she had never seen them skip dinner. Ever. Not only that, but it had been Speedy's turn to cook, and he never passed up that opportunity even if it was because he was hiding in his room to escape the heat.

So she had checked on them. No one had seen them in the city, Titans West hadn't heard anything, and Speedy wasn't in his room. That left one option, one she was heading towards quickly. Stepping out of the elevator, one hand reached up to knock on the shadowed door in front of her.

"Aqualad? You in there?" Receiving no reply, she knocked, and blinked as the door opened in front of her, then stepped into the doorway. "Aqualad? Are you ok-" The last word cut off as her eyes adjusted to the gloom enough to realize what she was seeing.

The two older boys of her team lay wrapped around each other, doing something that she could have pretended was wrestling if not for the fact that they were quite obviously sucking face. She squeaked and covered her eyes, spinning on her heel as she did so. "I-i'll come back later!" With that she darted away, bright red and on the verge of bursting into giggles for no specific reason.

She had known about Aqualad's sexuality, but had no idea how he had managed to convert Speedy, and didn't really care to know. Bumblebee had the feeling that some very strange things had happened during the hours that the two had been missing, but she knew all that she needed to know about it. They were both obviously happy, and if they weren't together then she had no doubt that they would be soon, and that was all their leader wanted to know.

It was strange, it was unorthodox, and it had happened with startling swiftness (at least as far as she knew), but if they wanted to do that, she was fine with it.

After all, their lives were their own, and the only ones that could put them in such a situation would be themselves. Well that, or maybe fate. But that was a silly thought wasn't it? With a small, bemused smile Karen shook it off and headed towards her room, simply hoping that they would both be less pissy now that they were getting laid.


End file.
